Partitional member



Aug. 6, 1935. Al M YGBERG 2,010,471

PARTITIONAL MEMBER vFiled May 19, 1935 ITP/'9.2 '.l !I. fl.

Patented Aug.V 6, 1935 UNiTEo stares 2,ili0,471 FARTITIONAL MEMBER Anna Maria Ygberg, Gottenborg, Sweden Application May 19, 1933, Serial No. 671,920 In Sweden April 7, .1.931

5 Claims.

The present invention refers to a structural member particularly suited for the production of walls, such as partitions adapted to form com parti/nente in bores, on shelves or the like, the invention making it poss'ble, with the use of a suitable number of such members, to provide longitudinally accurately adjustable wall in a simple manner without great cost and inconfvenience.

The structural member according to the in vention refers to that type of members which is provided at the one or both ends with grooves cooperating with connecting tongues engaging the grooves, which tongues may each be provided on :the corresponding end portion of the adjacent member, or may constitute separate, isolated parts, the arrangement being such that a suitable number of members succeeding one another longitudinally form together a wall adapted to be 'f shut together or extended in the same direction,

which Wall can, before it is fixed by securing the members to each other or tol a sub-structure, be accurately adapted with respect to the desired length thereof through mutual displacement of the members. The invention is Vsubstantiaily characterized in that each oi the grooves located between the lateral limiting surfaces of the structural members is closed at the top by a part forming a cover over the groove.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a few embodiments of members and of partitions composed of such members according to the present invention, Fig. l is an elevation of a member according to one embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof on line II-II in Fig. l. Fig. 3 shows a partition arranged on a substructure and composed of members according to Figs. l and 2. Figs. 4 and 6 are elevations of the member according to two further embodiments, and Figs. 5 and 7 represent cross sections thereof on lines V-V and VII-VII in Figs. 4 and 6 respectively. Fig. 8 is an elevation of a member according to a fourth embodiment, and Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section thereof on line -IX in Fig. 8. Fig. l0 is a perspective elevation or a member according to a further embodiment of the invention, the parts of the member being separated. ll is a plan View of a partition composed of members, for instance according to Fig. l0, and formed with transversal portions.

vThe member shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of four rectangular parts formed out of a sheet material, such as wood, paste-board or theY like, three of which parts are preferably made to exactly the same size and joined with each other,

said groove extending all over the height of the member, while at the other end of the member is formed a connecting tongue i corresponding to the groove. The groove formed between parts and 3 is closed at the top, according to the invention, by the fourth part secured to the end surfaces of the first-mentioned parts and forming a plate 5 covering the groove.

The groove i in the one end of the member thus produced will thus have exactly the same dimensions as the connecting tongue located at Vthe other end of the member, which results in that a requisite number cf such members may be combined to form a partition. (see Fig. 3) in that the respective connecting tongue is introduced from below or from the one end into the groove l of the adjacent member. After the members have been combined they will be displaceable longitudinally relatively to each other and will also be guided transversely. The partition thus composed will also be provided with a groove in its one end and with a connecting tongue at its other end. It is preferred, before the partition composed from the members is secured in its place, to provide the last-mentioned end portion with a separate part having one groove only, which latter part may be made from the same kind of sheets 2, 3 and 5 as the members, while lacking the laterally projecting tongue l, which tongue may be replaced by an intermediate member separating the sheets 2 and 3 and secured to the one end edge thereof. Before the partition thus composed is fixed by the members being secured to each other, or is attached, for instance with the aid of glue, with the lower side to a substructure 5, the length of the partition may be accurately adapted by a suitable mutual displacement of the members.

The embodiment of the member illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 differs from the member according to Figs. l and 2 only in that the sheets 2, 3 and 5 are replaced by a part 'i formed through bend ing, the bent portion 8 of which part corresponds to the sheet or plate 5. The part 'l may be bent and secured in any suitable manner, for instance by being glued to the connecting tongue i, through which attachment the part l maintains its bent shape if it is made from resilient material, for example. The connecting tongue l may also be formed from a double-folded sheet material.

A development of the latter embodiment is represented by the member illustrated in Figs and 7, where the connecting tongue lo of the member 9 is also made as a bent part forming a direct extension of the member integral therewith. This member with its connecting tongue is preferably pressed out of sheet metal, the connecting tongue being compressed to a greater extent than the member proper with the outer width and height corresponding to the inner width and height of the member, so that the connecting tongue will lit into the groove of an adjacent member, as in the preceding embodiments. Preferably, the lower edge li of the member is then bent outwardly to facilitate the introduction of the tongue into the groove.

According to the modified embodiment of the member acecording to the invention as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, each such member l2 is formed out of a single, substantially L-shaped piece stamped out of sheet metal or the like, which piece has been given, through suitable bending, the shape illustrated in said gures, which shape corresponds substantially to the shape of the embodiment illustrated in the previously described Figs. 4 and 5. rihus the one end is provided with a tongue l and the other with a groove i to receive the tongue of another member. To facilitate securing of the members to their sub-structure, if such securing is intended to take place, the lower edges of the forked part forming the groove il may be bent upwardly, if desired.

The embodiment shown in Fig. l0 differs from thel preceding ones in that the tongue of a member replaced by a loose or removable connecting tongue i3 having a rectangular cross-section all over the length thereof. rThe other members l@ cooperating with the first-mentioned members are of a forked cross-section at both ends. The latter members le are formed from two opposed rectangular sheets i5, of an equal size with an intermediate member il separating said sheets and keeping them together at the central portion thereof, and from a plate iii covering their upper side entirely.

An example of the employment of the above described members for composing par 'tions with transversal portions or portions which cross one another is illustrated in Fig. ll. The members are united with each other, as indicated hereinbefore, by introducing the connecting tongues into the grooves of the members, whereupon the latter are displaced relatively to each other, until the respective walls or partitions have been properly adapted as to their length, after which these walls or partitions are secured to each other or to a rigid sub-structure. Con-- necting pieces oi any suitable form may be arranged at corners or crossings to keep the wall portions together. The corner which is formed between the walls i9 and 2d is constituted by an angle piece 2i made, for instance, oi solid material, and the angle shanks of which form connecting tongues entering the grooves of the members adjacent to the corner. The walls il@ crossing each other are connected with one another' by means of a cross piece formed out of two tongues 23 joined with each other in any suitable way and made from bent sheet metal, for example, while the wall 25, which terminates adiacent'to the wall lg, is kept together with the latter by means of connecting tongues, which in the embodiment shown constitute parts of a Tpiece 26 made from bent sheet metal material, which T-piece, however, may be made inY any suitable manner, like the other connecting pieces for corners and crossings.

The invention is obviously not limited to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing. Each member may, for instance, be made integral with the tongue by being formed from a plastic material which has been given the requisite hardness through a suitable treatment after the forming thereof. For the securing o'f the members to each other or to the sub-structure upon adjustment of the wall, means of any suitable kind, such as adhesives, screws, nails or the like may be brought into use. In the embodiments where the member consists of bent sheet-metal material, such material may have resilient properties of such a nature, or may be made in such a manner, as to be retained through the resiliency at the connecting tongue in a sufficient degree, without the aid of other connecting means. In addition to serving as partitions to form compartments and so forth, the bodies formed from the longitudinally composed members displaceable relatively to each other may also be utilized in a number of further applications where a quick and accurate adjustment of the length of these bodies is desirable.

What i claim istl. Structural members adapted particularly for the production oi walls, such as partitions to form compartir-,ents in boxes, on shelves or the like, each of said me l. being provided in the one or both ends with grooves cooperating with connectirs, tongues engaging the grooves, the arrangement being such that a suitable number ci members succeeding one another longitudinally form together a wall adapted to be shut together or extended in the same direction, which wall can, before it is fixed by securing the ir' to each other or to a sub-structure, be accurately adapted 'with respect to the desired length thereof through mutual. displacement of members, characterized in that each of the grooves located between the lateral limiting surfaces of the structural members is closed at the top by a part forming a cover over the groove and open at the bottom, in order to enable the structural member as well as the connecting tongues to rest directly upon a sub-structure.

2. A structural member according to claim l, characterized by the same consisting of four rec tangular parts rigidly joined together and formed out of sheet material.

3. A structural member according to claim l, characterized in that the member is made from a iiexible or resilient material, said material being bent to fork-shape and provided with a sheetlike connecting tongue introduced into the end of the groove thus formed for a portion of the length of the groove, said connecting tongue being formed out of a double-folded sheet material, if desired.

4. A structural member according to claim l, characterized in that the member is made integral with the connecting tongue, and is bent to fork-shape together with the connecting tongue, which latter is adapted to be introduced into the groove of another member.

5. A structural member according to claim l, characterized in that the member is formed from an I -shaped piece, and forked cross section along the whole length of the grooved portion, and in that the 'foot of the L-shaped piece con stitutes a tongue which may be introduced into the groove of another member.

ANNA MARIA YGBERG. 

